Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #2

by Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Ben Stenbeck (Illustrator)

Hellboy and his mentor Bruttenholm travel across England and confront the phantom hand of a murderer, a demonic water spirit, and some of the most horrible figures of British folklore—Rawhead Rex and Bloody Bones. Back in the States, Hellboy rejoins the team from 1952 as a monster with possible ties to an earlier mission ravages a suburban community. Collects the five-issue miniseries.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Supernatural, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2016

About the author

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.

In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.

Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

1953 is an anthology of Hellboy stories set in the UK and America when he was just starting out with the BPRD and, snakes alive, are they a boring and uninspired bunch!

Hellboy goes demon/ghost/witch hunting in merry old England with Professor Bruttenholm, punching them all because Mike Mignola ran out of ideas years ago, while the three-part story sees Hellboy punching monsters in the good old US of A.

These are the most generic, bland, run-of-the-mill Hellboy stories you can read. I appreciate the quality Ben Stenbeck and Paolo Rivera bring to the art but I’ve been reading Hellboy for years and these stale stories did absolutely nothing for me. New readers unfamiliar with the Hellboy formula and fanboys will probably enjoy them but I’ve found this 1950s Hellboy/BPRD series to be a total wash so far, filled with nothing but disappointingly hacky stories.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

First we have a bunch of shorter stories set in England with art by Ben Stenbeck. I like having Professor Bruttenholm back in the books. He died very soon after Mignola introduced Hellboy. It's nice getting to see the two of them interact. They most resemble the standard Hellboy stories in both art and coloring. Stenbeck'a art is simple and clean. I quite like seeing his art in the Hellboy universe.

Next up is a story drawn by Michael Walsh about some Chinese ghosts. The story felt formulaic and the art was sketchy and really only saved by Dave Stewart's coloring.

Finally is Beyond the Fences with spectacular art by Paulo Rivera. I'd watch this guy paint a house. His art is consistently outstanding. Dave Stewart offers up a new color palette for this story, one with warmer colors. The story reminds me of the old monster movies of the 50's. It's the best story in the book. I'm hoping to see more along those lines.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Hellboy new-material-set-in-the-past collection; I really enjoyed this. It's the next best thing to getting new Hellboy tales set in the present day.

The first four tales in this collection, set in the UK, felt more like 'traditional' Hellboy stories to me (and I include the artwork in that) and I preferred these stories to the second (three part) story set in the American suburbs. That's not to say I disliked the second story; I actually got a kick out of seeing the big red cheese (sorry Shazam fans but the mantle has been passed) operating well outside of his usual stomping grounds.

I hope Dark Horse keep these books coming; they really help ease the torment of waiting for Mignola to grind out the next issue of Hellboy In Hell...

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

1953 is a series of short stories and a slightly longer three-part short story called "Beyond the Fences".

The Phantom Hand and the Witch Tree are the best of the five short stories. The rest aren't bad but nothing amazing. The three part Beyond the Fences is pretty good, though rather weird. Really not much to say about this issue. An enjoyable addition to my Hellboy collection. If you're a fan you'll want this one as well. The artwork, by Ben Stenbeck, is good but not quite to Mignola's level. Still a nice enjoyable collection of some Hellboy short stories set in the early 1950's.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I've been reading Hellboy and B.P.R.D stories for years. I like the mix of horror, legends, myths, creepy houses, tentacled creatures, and Hellboy's active approach to problem-solving.
This is a series of short stories, with some recurring characters. It was nice to see a reference to the 1946 and '47 stories.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this stuff.

Great art, Dark weird stories.

A retro reunion (of sorts) with our (now dead) hero Hellboy

and a fun interesting oddsortment of fun characters from the fledgling B.P.R.D.

Yes!

[Wing Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah feels like old times, and the old times are so so good!

World: The art is wonderful, from Mignola art to the other artists like Stenbeck and Rivera they all bring a style to the HBU and they all are gorgeous and full of character. I love art that is expressive and these artists are just that. The world building here is solid but very self contained. Sure there is bigger picture at play with the BPRD and Varvara but for the most part the stories are self contained and the world building is also. It feels very old school HB with monster of the week ideals and world building to boot. Simpler is sometimes better.

Story: This feels like the old days when HB only had to worry about what to punch this story. There was still no heavy crown and the end of the world and going to hell. This is pure and simple and what Mignola started the HBU for, monsters and HB beating the crap out of them. The stories found here are interesting and paced super fast and very readable. It's just fun. Simple and fun. Sure there is the larger grander arc at play but it's barely touched upon this arc. All we get is simple straightforward HB punching shit. I love it.

Characters: Some old and new characters are introduced and played with. The new additions are interesting and I look forward to more story, while the old characters pretty much are set and behave the way they do during that time. It's like meeting old friends and seeing new people, it's safe and it's comfortable. Solid solid character building.

Old school in everything and I am in love with the simplicity.

Onward to the next book!

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello, My Name is Rick. And I'm a Hellboy addict.

Seriously.

I've been getting these comics since Hellboy Seed of Destruction #1 back in 1994. So, yeah - longtime fan. Big fan. Am I biased? I suppose so. I mean when the fanboy-bug bites and doesn't let go, you've got one option to slake the need: and issue after issue and series after series and month after month and year after year, Mike Mignola does not disappoint. I know his involvement these days is probably not much more than spiritual advisor or plot assists and editorial direction (although he does occasionally grant his fans with a new art and story) but the characters are just so ... cool. This volume is another step back through time and looking at earlier tales of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.
The art in the Beyond the Fences is particularly disturbing in how it juxtaposes a kind of Norman Rockwellesque golden age of American iconography against something right out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. And let’s be honest, white picket fences aren't going to hold back Cthulhu.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my read of this series, I note from my records that I bought this one new, so I must have liked the first one better than I thought. Or I'm just a Hellboy completionist (a word that Goodreads does not recognize as real, but yes, that is a real thing).

Anyway, I loved this one, which is a collection of short stories taking Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. from England to the US. Much as I got a kick out of the story of the phantom hand--something that, if you're new to the Hellboy universe, ought to tell you exactly what you will get from a Hellboy story, namely Hellboy stomping on things until they stop moving--my favorite was the final one, set in suburban America and tying the narrative to an earlier event even as the story is self-contained. I did miss Alex Maleev's art, but Paolo Rivera is also amazing. As is usual with Hellboy graphic novels, there's a section at the end of concept art and layouts, a little look behind the scenes I always find fascinating.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yep. I don't really understand what happened to Mignola. He doesn't seem capable of writing fun stories anymore. The short story about the haunted hand was the best thing here, but it was really nothing special.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

HELLBOY RETROSPECTIVE 2016 (actually my first non-retro Hellboy read this year, brand new volume)
Lots of treading old ground with Hellboy & Professor Broom but they did bother to bring back the BPRD agents intro'd in 1952. This volume is more of an anthology focused themes of the first volume - rookie Hellboy getting his feet wet while people fret about his ultimate destiny. Beyond that it has a very classic Hellboy punching monsters feel. I do wish if they're going to do this year by year starting in the 50's that they'd make more of an effort to catch the spirit of the time beyond a single throwaway Don Rickles reference.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great volume of Hellboy.
Hellboy is getting a little bit more confident in his investigations (and punching shit with his stone hand). This is a neat little collection of random missions Hellboy and his friends from the BPRD where on in the 50's. It's starts with Hellboy and Proffesor Bruttenholm on a mission with a missing hand and an ages old witch corpse. I liked this cuz it felt like Broom was disappointed with how HB's mission went in the last volume.
I really like Hellboys friends, Susan Xieng and Jacob Stegner. I think we've met them before in the BPRD 1940 whatever volume, and I only remember them doing what they bring up now in the volume, but I'm excited to see what they're being set up for. Especially Susan.

[Jesse VanDeWalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has some signature level weird. Fun stuff!

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a collection of short stories and one mini-series. The highlight is Beyond the Fences, where Hellboy and BPRD deal with a disturbing creatures in suburbia - it's a different type of story, although it does end up in lots of punching. The other stories aren't particularly memorable - there's a flashback story about a kelpie that I guess was aiming for atmosphere but didn't do much of anything, and then there's a story about Asian ghosts that was decent. The art was okay overall, but nothing memorable. As much as I enjoy the BPRD series and the Hellboy series, these earlier combined stories don't really stand up to the standards the other series did.

[Lucas Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Reason Why I Read Hellboy and the Mignolaverse

Hellboy fights Roman centurion zombies and dogs turned into monsters by a material from another realm of existence. The art is good too. What else needs to be said?

[Siona Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a continuous story, but the issies in this were pretty cool (and Sue was a common focal point, so I guess maybe that helped).

[Canavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

✭✭✭

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this from Edelweiss and Dark Horse Comics in exchange for an honest review.

Meh, not much to this one. Felt like I was reading weekly comic strips.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Нам знову показують, що давні містичні сили прокидаються, коли поруч з'являється хеллбой. бо це їх шанс здобути бажане чи щось змінити, хай навіть і через спробу його вбивства.

Кілька історій з чорним гумором, кілька намагаються налякати чи хитнути головою у бік інших подій, які мали місце в центральній серії коміксів.

Хотіли більше взаємодії Тревора Бруттенхольма і Хеллбоя - ви її матимите. Хеллбой імпульсивний та так і рветься потрапити в самісіньку халепу. Мабуть, через власну недосвідченість. Яскравий приклад - історія про культ відьми, де наш червоний хлопець більше м’язи, ніж мозок.

"Келпі" - це історія про засторогу не чіпати того, що ховається у пітьмі. Дуже коротке оповідання про одну з істот шотландського фольклору. Аж дивно, що авторам знадобилось буквально кілька сторінок, щоб і налякати читача, і нагнати драми. Та й такого шотландського міфу непідготовлений читач, мабуть, не очікуватиме.

"Блукаючі душі" - історія про привидів, які дістають мешканців американського містечка. Дуже простенький сюжет, що чіпляє часи освоєння Дикого Заходу, ті їх аспекти, про які особливо не говорять. Тут лишили певний сюжетний гачок, і аж цікаво, чи використали його автори у наступних збірках.

"За парканами". В мене є кілька ідей щодо назви цього сюжету в трьох частинах. В маленьких містечках (а дія розгортатиметься саме в одному з них) будиночки огороджували характерними невисокими парканами, та навіть за ними інколи було не видно, що коїться у сусідів. Або ж ми тут маємо натяк на те, що межа між різними реальностями - це ненадійний паркан, який легко перескочити. Я не читав серйозних критичних статей, які стосувалися б цього твору, тому для себе лишу обидва варіанти (але ніхто не заважає вам поставити мене на місце).

Маємо продовження сюжету “БРПД 1948”, таємничий мінерал, сов’єтських шпигунів з надприродними здібностями. Хеллбой став зіркою місцевої школоти, бо про його пригоди в Бразилії написали в газетах. І звичайно, по сюжету бігає монстр, якого треба зупинити (не буду спойлити зайвий раз, істота ця доволі огидна, і деякі моменти знайомства з нею… ну… не для слабких духом).

Також не забувать про розвиток персонажів другого плану, які ще залишилися з оповідки про Бразилію, що не може не радувати.

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1953
Collects the following stories.

The Phantom Hand – A simple ghost story set in England about a disembodied hand, “… like a great white spider,” gets complicated involving a serial killer, a brawl with a demon, and the spirits of dead children.

Rawhead and Bloody Bones – An English Pub named after a pair of grave robbers experienced some weird occurrences – strange noises, claw marks on the walls, and a missing pet found in pieces.
Hellboy’s solution – Get rid of the sign outside the Pub. The owners say Good Riddance, burning the sign. Rawhead and Bloody Bones make an appearance but don’t stick around long.
Next time visiting Yorkshire, stop in at the Whistling Pig. The owners have a tale to tell.

The Witch Tree – A tale about the Boudicca’s Hag, a local witch hanged by the Romans. Enter the witch, “…Her eyes - like burning coals!” and skeletons of dead Roman soldiers. Professor Bruttenholm comes up with a solution to the witch/skeleton problem.

The Kelpie – A version of the Kelpie legend I did not know. The Kelpie looks like a horse that tricks people onto its back and then drowns the passenger. That’s exactly what happens this story.

Wandering Souls – Cantonese ghosts haunt a mine, looking for their bones. The B.P.R.D. to the rescue.

Beyond the Fences – In California, children and pets have gone missing. The B.P.R.D. investigate the disappearances. The overgrown, snarling canine is a likely suspect. It survives its first encounter with the B.P.R.D. as do they. Mostly. Next time around, the canine is bigger and hairless. During the mutual exchanged pounding, Hellboy says “Play dead.” Last pages involve some Russian agents and everyone’s favorite demon-possessed youngster, a laughing Varvara.

Not much involvement from the B.P.R.D. cast aside from Hellboy, Trevor Bruttenholm, and Susan Xiang.
It’s Hellboy. It’s great. It’s recommended reading. Fun mix of shorts and longer tales.

[JoeK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought at a yard sale for $5, so it was well worth the money. I might not have been so happy if I had paid the full cover price of $26.

I've always liked Hellboy and this volume wasn't disappointing. The nice thing about Hellboy's adventures is you don't really need to know his history or worry about reading things sequentially. Most of the stories are pretty self-contained and can be read in pretty much any order.

This volume ended with a few unanswered questions, that will undoubtedly be answered in the next volume, but I'm okay with that.

The artwork ran the gamut from workman-like to beautiful. Everyone working on Hellboy these days puts more effort into the art than Mike Mignola did in his later years, before he quit doing the art altogether. Paolo Rivera did an homage to the Saturday Evening Post cover of Norman Rockwell as a fronts-piece to the "Beyond the Fences" story that was just beautiful.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

So if you read the normal Hellboy timeline that's come to an end and if you read B.P.R.D that storyline too is coming to an end. So what's a guy to do when he's written himself right into the end of the world but he's clearly not tired of the character? Delve into the past of course, and so our second volume of Hellboy in the 50s features the kind of short stories and minor storylines that the character started out with -- and that isn't a bad thing at all. Some fun, brief pieces here to wile away an evening.

[Lacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was smiling through this entire book! Just like 1952 this trade feels like a call back to the original Hellboy comics and I couldn't be happier. 1953 is a collection of shorts, some longer than others. I've always enjoyed Hellboy stories being told in this format. Though long form is great too, shorter stories allow for more intimate interactions which is where Hellboy as a character really shines. We are back to punching monsters and demons which is also where Hellboy thrives. I'm really loving the 1950's series and can't wait to read more!

[Myk Pilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like Hellboy returning to form, these stories have a similar structure to the original Mignola run.
Thing happens, Hellboy arrives, red herring, HB connects with someone the other agents have overlooked gains unique insight, big monster fight, closes out with ominous feeling about Red's future - but onlookers confirm that Hellboy is a good egg.

Bonus points for cataclysmic double-page spread and monster designs - they make the little boy inside me leap up and down like a lunatic.

[Arnela · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are drawn but different artists and while after seeing Mignola's art I had a moment of "what is this", it's still very well done. The styles have a bit of a more modern day comic feel to them.

It's a pretty enjoyable collection of young hellboy and his early years of working with the B.PR.D. hunting the simple things first, the usual ghost hands, witches, scientifically modified housepets, the usual.

[Edouard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little under the 1952 story, I still liked it and had a good time. Hellboy is already bad-ass, the supportive characters are likeable and Susan and Stenger, damn, Stegner... are likeable.

This one has a few very short stories before the main one. Interesting but as I am huge fan I would have preferred more of it. More details, more setting building... Hellboy stories are always too short to me...

Nonetheless, a good graphic novels in the Hellboy franchise / universe.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the first Hellboy and the BPRD volume, this is an anthology of one-shot stories which detail some of Hellboy’s earlier adventures. None of this captures the dark whimsy of Mignola’s one-shots from the early days of the Hellboy series, but these tales do work quite nicely on their own, and are a welcome addition to the larger Mignolaverse, especially for those who pine for simpler, less weighty stories that offset the crushing darkness the Mignolaverse ultimately brings.

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories have not all equally good

The Phantom Hand - 3*- not predictable, but not very exciting.

The Kelpie - 3*- wooo!! This is a classic ghost story (from Trevor Bruttenholm's past) that would not be out of place if told at any late night camp fire.

The Witch Tree - 4*- an exciting tale set in the English countryside, drawing equally from history and mythology

Rawhead and Bloody Bones - 4*- Something as simple as naming your pub after grave robbers has the power to invoke their spirits to rise

Beyond The Fences - 4*- Fantastic pulp 1950s action adventure showing the reason behind Hellboy's popularity! He is kind to kids, and loves animals. Still that won't stop him from doing his job. This story was so good it lifted Vol 2 to 4 stars.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun collection of "classic" stories of Hellboy and the B.PR.D. investigating supernatural mysteries. Probably the best story has our heroes facing off against a Roman-era witch (complete with reanimated centurions), but there are also fun, creepy tales about a demonic hand and mutated dog monster running amok in Suburbia. The stories/characterization are all well done, and the art is strong as well. Recommended for fans.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love these little Hellboy stories- each one in this collection adds a little bit of lore but isn’t a part of this multi year saga that requires all this reading and research- it’s just like an X files monster of the week. The dog transforming into a giant radioactive beast from some other dimension, the Kelpie, Chinese worker bones going missing and a creepy devil hand. Lots of fun!